First bass boat - setting specs

Hi all,

New member here. Finally have the money and permission from the "boss" to buy a bass boat. I have owned a couple of boats in the past but nothing dedicated to fishing. So I am a bit overwhelmed by the prospect. Having spent the last 3 months seriously browsing the internet for boat I am still in a bit of a quandry about how to judge a really good deal.

When I am purchasing a car I really take my time and do my research. I have a pretty good idea of what a vehicle is worth as I walk onto a sales lot. I would like to approach the purchase of a boat the same way. Trouble is all I have to go on at the moment is relative pricing of boats on the internet. I'm just not comfortable with that.

I have approx $5k to buy a boat. I might be able to spend more in 6-8 months but I am reluctant to wait and even more reluctant to spend that much until I am comfortable I will invest that much time into the sport. So I have decided to go ahead and buy a used boat with what I have and see how it works out. It may be enough boat so that I don't need anything newer, fancier or more expensive

First I have tried to take the prices that I have observed and try to come up with a general list of preferences.

It is my impression that aluminum boats run a bit cheaper. Which means I could buy a bit of a newer model if I went with aluminum. However, it is also my impression that aluminum boats are lighter and shorter in beam. Being 6'7" and 300 lbs I think a light, narrow boat might not be the best for me. So a heavier fiberglass boat with the wider beam might be more stable when I need to stand up and move around.

It will mostly be me fishing solo so I don't need a huge boat. However, for the same reason as stated above, a 15' boat could be less stable than what I would be comfortable with. So I have tentatively set my goal for a 16-18' boat.

I have no need to be screaming down the lake at 70mph. So I don't see the need in a 200hp and above monster. However, if I went with a 16'-18' fiberglass boat shouldn't it be at least 100 hp? My tentative specs are for a 100-150hp motor.

If possible I'd rather not buy anything 20 years old. That just seems to me to be way too old. In looking at boats available it seem I should be able to find something in the 90-95 time frame that meet my other specs.
So my research tells me that I am looking for a 1990-1995 16'-18' fiberglass bass boat with a 100-150hp engine.

Does this sound practical? What should I be looking for? How can I go about picking a boat that will meet my percieved needs and still be a solid reliable fishing platform? What are the absolute essentials that I should look for in a properly equipped bass/fishing boat? How do I determine what is a good value? Can I satisfy my specs with the money I have available?

Any and all advice and comments would be appreciated.

Look on ebay, don't know about other boats but they have some Stratos's just like you are talking about.

Welcome to the Board, I think you will find that these folks on here are great people.

I think that the price of gas these days should be a big factor, not sure how well a 1990-95 100 HP motor will do on gas. Maybe saving 6 more months will get you something more gas friendly. hope this helps

seldom

this is a good time of year to be buying a boat there are a lot coming on the market for various reasons:
Don't want to pay for winter storage
The price of Gas
Looking to buy a new boat
etc......

Look at www.craigslist.com. and don't confine yourself to one location.

Although not a bass boat this fish-n-ski in indianapolis kind of fits what your looking for.

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/boa/830347554.html

Welcome aboard.
You might get a better deal waiting until the boat shows to get a good used boat from a trade in.
I would check the following items in addition to any other ideas you might get.
1) Transom for stress cracks, transom for repairs lift the back deck lids and look at the transom area from the inside to see if any cracks exist or if repairs were made.
2) Walk around the entire deck and feel for soft spots to indicate wood rot.
3) Check all guages and switches for operation, check the steering to insure it turns freely.
4) Check the prop and lower unit for dings and nicks.
5) Lift the motor cover off to see how clean it is and check the compression in the cylinders.
6) Take a test ride and use the livewells, bildge pump, lights and any switches.
7) Check the trailer to see what kind of shape it's in. Look at the bunks (carpet and wood ok?) and the hardware that attaches the bunks to see if they are rusted. Insure all the lights work.
I'm sure there are other items to check and most of these are basic things to look at but you never know. Good Luck.:)

DJD gave you some great advice. Take your time. I am on my 4Th boat and the last 3 have taken me 6-12 months to find the right boat. All have been great deals, but I had to have the patiences to wait it out.

Between now and the end of winter are the best times to find a boat. Look at the boat trader and check with some local dealers. Test drive a couple different types IE glass, aluminum, deep V and bass boats. Find out what type of boat fits you and the type of fishing you are going to do best.

MY second boat was a 16' Xpress bass boat with a 50 Yamaha. It was a great boat but I sometimes fished with a buddy of mine. He was 6'3" and 300lbs when he would walk to the side of the boat; to start to fish he would almost through me out of the boat. Something you may want to think about.

You say that you will be fishing by yourself. Trust me once your friends find out you have a boat they will be wanting to go with you all the time.

Every boat that I have bought I have taken it to a dealer and had them do a compression and lower unit check out on the motor.

Don't get boat fever wait and you will find the right boat. Ryan.

Check trolling motor out, there $$$. I would try to make sure boat been keep in garage, make big difference on the little things holding up such a switches and lights.

Aluminum not all that bad, I have on tracker V-18 its wide, and over 18 foot long. Me I am 350 lbs of lard and its fine for me. I used to use a 17 foot Glassport, it was a little more stable but not munch. Love being able to pull up on banks when launching, by my self, not all ramps have docks. There lighter, need less tow power.

Where you will be primarily fishing would have as much to do with boat choice as your size. I am not a small guy 6'4 and 260, and I was fine in a tracker alluminum until I moved to the ky lake area. The water can get nasty here so I needed a heavier more stable boat. Being your height I would get in all of them you look at and make sure you have plenty of room at the console. From what I have found my height is about max for most consoles without some work. If you find one you like I would definintely have the engine thoroughly tested, especially if it is an older (more than 5 years old) - if it is from an individual and not a dealer, you may have to offer to pay for the testing - but it will be worth it. Ask around for a reputable dealer that does some consignment. Jetta Marina here in calvert city always has a few boats that are on consignment and have great prices on them. If they don't they can help you find one.

Good luck and welcome the site.

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the feedback. Yeah, the bug definitely has me. I keep thinking I'd love to get a boat so I can do some fall fishing. But I have no problem waiting until the right deal comes along. I guess one of my concerns is just knowing when the deal really is the right one.

I have already found some great looking boats at what appears to be affordable prices on eBay and boat trader. But what do I know!! :cool:

I'll keep looking and maybe ask you what you think of specific boats.

Are there any boats/engines from the early to mid 90s that just should be avoided? What would definitely be better than another? My first instinct would be that as long as a boat is solid it should be ok. But the engine could be a really big issue.

I think my preferences so far would be a dual console and an extended fishing deck up front.

Good advice so far... and I think your preliminary research is on target. I had a an aluminum 1999 Tracker Pro Team 175 with a Mercury 50 which was a nice boat but then I invited a friend from work who was about your size... I almost got pitched out in November when I was leaning over and he shifted his weight. The Tracker V-18 boats are much wider and more stable, but I went with a fiberglass 18' Stratos with a 150 Johnson FastStrike and could not be happier. It burns gas, but I don't run a lot - the gas I burn hauling the boat to the water far outweighs what I burn fishing.

I HIGHLY recommend Craigslist.org and search around the area. I found my boat in Nashville, which seems to have a lot of bassboats advertised.

Here's a fish/ski that looks good in L'ville: [URL]http://louisville.craigslist.org/boa/831793039.html[/URL]

Two in Cinci: [URL]http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/boa/826583968.html[/URL] and [URL]http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/boa/823487146.html[/URL]

I have found that ebay tends to be overpriced (in fact, I sold my tracker on ebay for $300 more than I paid for it from a local private seller after I fished it hard for most of a year).

Avoid "Force" motors, and focus on "garage kept" boats.

Good luck!


John

What type of vehicle will you be pulling with? It may determine what type of boat you can get unless you want to up grade trucks as well.

[quote=jwp;338696]Good advice so far... and I think your preliminary research is on target. I had a an aluminum 1999 Tracker Pro Team 175 with a Mercury 50 which was a nice boat but then I invited a friend from work who was about your size... I almost got pitched out in November when I was leaning over and he shifted his weight. The Tracker V-18 boats are much wider and more stable, but I went with a fiberglass 18' Stratos with a 150 Johnson FastStrike and could not be happier. It burns gas, but I don't run a lot - the gas I burn hauling the boat to the water far outweighs what I burn fishing.

I HIGHLY recommend Craigslist.org and search around the area. I found my boat in Nashville, which seems to have a lot of bassboats advertised.

Here's a fish/ski that looks good in L'ville: [URL]http://louisville.craigslist.org/boa/831793039.html[/URL]

Two in Cinci: [URL]http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/boa/826583968.html[/URL] and [URL]http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/boa/823487146.html[/URL]

I have found that ebay tends to be overpriced (in fact, I sold my tracker on ebay for $300 more than I paid for it from a local private seller after I fished it hard for most of a year).

Avoid "Force" motors, and focus on "garage kept" boats.

Good luck!


John[/quote]

Thanks. I like the looks of that Procraft. And it's within reach with a bit of negotiations. I'll be sending a note to the owner today.